Sadnews: Arkansas basketball top man announce is departure after quarrelling with the officials..
Although Arkansas basketball is no longer vying for the top 2025 recruit, John Calipari and the Hogs are still connected to a number of elite players.
No longer is one of the best prospects in the 2025 recruiting class thinking about Arkansas and John Calipari. The No. 21 player in the nation and composite 5-star forward Will Riley significantly altered his top five ranking by adding Illinois in place of the Razorbacks.
Riley’s official visit with Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini ended this past weekend, and that was sufficient for him to surpass the Hogs, who he had included in his initial list on April 24. Riley’s top five continued to include Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, and the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL.
Eric Musselman, the former head coach at Arkansas, first extended a scholarship offer to Riley. Riley had already been aggressively recruited by Calipari and his staff at Kentucky, so there wasn’t much ground to make up following the coaching changes in April.
Riley’s recruitment story contains a crucial detail that could shed light on the events of Monday. Orlando Antigua, a former Kentucky assistant, is currently a member of Underwood’s coaching staff at Illinois. Having recruited Riley while at Lexington, Antigua has a close relationship with Riley and was Calipari’s primary assistant with the Wildcats the previous season.
Even though Riley may not be on the Razorbacks’ short list, they are actively courting other elite 2025 talents. Here’s a closer look at three names to watch going forward in the upcoming class.
Darius Acuff Jr. | CG | 5-star, #4 OVR, #1 PG | 6-3, 180
After receiving a scholarship offer in mid-April, Acuff, a gifted guard, made an official visit to Arkansas just two weekends ago, so Razorback supporters should be familiar with him. Acuff, the best point guard prospect in the 2025 class, is making waves on the EYBL 17U circuit right now. This spring, he averaged 24.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on 49/36/88 basketball splits.
The majority of the nation’s top universities are on the Detroit native’s list of offers, but he recently announced he didn’t want to accept any more after visiting Kansas and Arkansas during the previous two months. After Kentucky and Michigan, his home state program, have both recently lost ground to other schools, the Razorbacks and Jayhawks are reportedly the two favorites in his recruitment.
6–9, 200 SF, 5-star, #1 OVR, #1 SF is AJ Dybantsa.
As his recruitment heats up, the undisputed top talent in the 2025 recruiting class is still drawing attention on the local circuits. During the fourth Nike EYBL session in Kansas City this past weekend, Dybantsa had a respectable performance. On Friday, he secured the victory with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
With an average of 22.5 points and 6.2 rebounds, Dybantsa is currently the fourth-highest scorer in the EYBL. Almost all of the nation’s top universities are reportedly interested in him, although North Carolina, Arkansas, Auburn, and Kentucky are reportedly the most involved at the moment. Dybantsa received an offer from Calipari and the Razorbacks in the middle of April, and they have been actively pursuing it ever then.
Not even a week ago, I received an offer. “I received an offer after Cal and Chin [Coleman] reached out,” Dybantsa recently revealed to 247 Sports National Basketball Director Eric Bossi. “Same ‘brand, different location,’ he remarked. He remarked, “It’s just a different location, but they’re going to keep coaching and doing things the same way.”
